It is quite fitting that this first blog entry be posted today, on International Women’s Day. This past year, the media has shed light on some of the most devastating situations for women around the world. Young girls in a poor community in India, going out in the night to relieve themselves in a field, were brutally raped, killed, and hung from a mango tree for villagers to find them. In Nigeria, militant group Boko Haram, kidnapped over 200 girls from a school. They have yet to return home. And just last week, journalist Alissa J. Rubin quoted in her New York Times piece A Thin Line of Defense Against ‘Honor Killings’,

“For a young woman from an Afghan village to go home after running away with a man is tantamount to crossing a busy street blindfolded: There is a strong likelihood that she will be killed for bringing shame on her family.”

And on college campuses across America, numerous brave young women have spoken up about the systemic issues in dealing with rape and victim blaming.

I mention these stories not as isolated incidents but as common occurrences of violence against women around the planet. Through the work of Humble and Poe, I hope to contribute in some small way to a reclaiming of respect and dignity for all women. We will continue to post stories, facilitate discussions with individuals, and highlight organizations doing important work in combating oppressive treatment of women.

One such place to start is Half the Sky Movement. Read the book, see the documentary, check out the site. More on them in another post.

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